Evaluation of “best friend” project on pet responsible ownership

The relationship of animals and humans has begun many centuries ago and highlights the interdependence of humankind and some animal species. This proximity leaded to a large amount of stray dogs, cats and horses in urban centers, mining the basic precepts of welfare and causing public health problems. It can be worse in cities where concepts of animal welfare and zoonosis are not known by the population. Uruguaiana faces a critical public health situation due to the huge number of stray animals. “Best Friend” Project was created in 2010 and since then aimed to promote responsible ownership of animals, focusing on children aged 5 to 8 years old. The project worked with a theater of puppets and the performances were made in nine public schools, for 930 children. Multiple choice questions were answered by the children before and after the acting performances, in order to access their learning. The results were tabulated and analyzed by using Proportions Test (95% probability). It was observed that 89.5% of children owned pets. Before the presentation, 80% answered that the best place to keep their pet was at home, after the presentation this proportion increased to 91% (p=0.007). When inquired about the ideal food to pets, only 89% referred to commercial feed; after the project visit, the proportion increased to 99.5% (p=0.000). When asked if they would look for professional help if their pet was sick, before and after the presentation, children answered similarly (81.5% answered positively before and 80.5% after) not revealing statistical difference. Around 62% of the children considered their pet as a best friend, after the lectures 87.5% of them recognize their pet as a friend (p=0.001). It was also inquired if the children washed their hands after playing with their pet; before the educational activities of Best Friend Project 97% answered positively; after them, 100% (p=0.023). According to the evaluations, the method applied proved to be effective, improving children’s way of thinking concerning their pet maintenance. The authors believe that “Best Friend” project actions would be useful on animal welfare and public health improvements in Uruguaiana in the future.